In the decade since Djent first hit the scene boasting algebraic riffs, yet also throwing back to the likes of Tangerine Dream’s spell-binding atmosphere. With Meshuggah being the catalyst and the lead that many of the scenes alumni would take inspiration, at the outset, it was a thriving community of bands and their ravenous fans.Continue reading
It is without a second’s hesitation that Norwegian second-wave Black Metal deities Mayhem are regarded as one of the pinnacles of the style: as one of the seminal acts. Their full length debut De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (Deathlike Silence) is rightly acclaimed as one of the very best – if not the actual best, which is my personal opinion depending on whether I’ve listened to that or In The Nightside Eclipse (Candlelight) most recently – Black Metal albums, while earlier releases Deathcrush (Posercorpse) and Live In Leipzig (Obscure Plasma) have also attained legendary status for their wild, raw nihilistic fury.Continue reading
I guess Deathkings really missed us since the release of 2016’s All That is Beautiful and decided to do something really nice about it. Being the sweethearts that they are this Los Angeles collective have gifted us a little something in the form a new EP, Ex Nihilo (self-released). And while it’s only two tracks on the shorter end of the spectrum (compared to the usual Sludge/Doom fare) it’s a potent and deadly reminder of what Deathkings is capable of.Continue reading
As the Ghost Cult Albums of the Year 2018 run-down approaches the business end, picking up where Part 1 left off, we invite you to peruse the albums that, democratically voted for by the entire crew, make our Top 25 and didn’t just prick up our ears, but smashed their way into our hearts and minds. Read on…
Advancing the concept the band began on their 2010 album Benthic Horizon (Bastardized Recordings), German Death Metallers and HP Lovecraft enthusiasts Ichor return with their fourth full-length release, Hadal Ascending (Unholy Conspiracy/Wooargh) to continue the story of a devastated deep-sea world occupied by mystical beings and lurking sub-aquatic horrors.Continue reading
The word yatra is a Himalayan term referring to a spiritual journey or pilgrimage. Locking themselves in a primitive forest cabin for a three-month creative process, it’s a term that seems pretty apt for Maryland’s Yatra, a Doom trio formed by Dana Helmuth of Blood Raven fame. Death Ritual (Grimoire Records) is the band’s debut album and is as harsh, gloomy yet stimulating as that process must have been.Continue reading
Reputation is a weird and wonderful thing. See, All Hail The Yeti haven’t really done anything wrong on their first two releases, yet depending on who you speak to, the picture painted isn’t always positive which, considering the component elements of their sound – polished Sludge Metal with mainstream stomp elements and a knack for vocal hooks – is quite surprising. Yet each album cycle is a chance to stake a new claim, and by enlisting Grammy award-winning producer Warren Ryker the Yeti is showing ambition on third album Highway Crosses (minusHEAD).Continue reading
Nottingham duo Bismuth, as its name implies, is renowned for its crushing, unflinching take on Doom and Drone. Sophomore album The Slow Death Of The Great Barrier Reef (Medusa Crush Recordings) is largely comprised of the thirty-two minute title track and is as moving as it is difficult, as absorbing as it is challenging.Continue reading
For an album titled True Misery (Wasted State Records), Old Man Lizard never sound like they’re sticks in the mud or total bummers. I mean there are patches of Sabbath gloom all throughout this third LP, but it never reaches Primitive Man suicide watch levels of anguish. And maybe it doesn’t have to either.Continue reading
Pause for a moment, dearly beloved, and check out THAT COVER. See it, feel it, breathe it in. It is Ian Miller at his gothic grotesque best like someone crossed a lurid creepy crawly with a bad trip in a fin de siècle opium den. It’s got one of Lovecraft’s Elder Thing exploding with mouths, beaks, eyes and profane wind instruments, striding through a cancerous landscape full of writhing horror and grandeur. It is also my laptop’s Christmas wallpaper.Continue reading